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By Jon Lachonis

Episode 407, 'The Other Woman' looks at Juliette's past with Goodwin and Ben.

Lost episode 407,  “The Other Woman” was predictably a weak follow up to the mind-rending that was “The Constant,” but still very well seasoned with a fine selection of WTFs and OMGs. The story of Juliet and Goodwin’s romance serve as the flashback portion of the episode, and while you may think that is rather yawn worthy, it does seal the deal by shining a new light on Ben’s freaky behavior.

Basically the episode is split into three interconnected arcs. In the past it is a tale of trysts in Othertown: Juliet falls for her Therapist Harper’s (played by the lovely Andrea Roth) husband Goodwin (yeah, that Goodwin) while Ben makes some slimy attempts at earning her affection. The sliminess isn’t so much as a random hand on the knee, but it’s more the awkwardness that he displays. You catch yourself saying “what a buffoon,” but the reality is Ben grew up on the island and is severely lacking in social graces as a result. Add to that the fact that he is a genocidal psychic boy wonder – or so his people think – and voila: slimy.

Even though it is a Juliet flash back it winds up saying more about Ben, particularly his sense of possessiveness and the perversions he will unleash to get what is his. At the end of the a-typical forbidden love chapter, Ben leads Juliet to a field to show her Goodwin’s body. The scene punctuates earlier pleas from Harper that the relationship, while not all that acceptable to her either, is a dangerous thing for Goodwin. This isn’t merely a chapter in Lost’s story that could easily be skipped though. Yes, Goodwin was sent to the tailsection because Ben knew he would be in danger there, but while Juliet is sobbing over Goodwin’s sunbaked corpse Ben spells it out definitively. “Don’t you get it? You’re mine!”